When I was a kid, I read most of the Newbery winners. Beyond that, memories of kitchen-table talk linger in my memory.

How do you get into the mood of writing? Like...do you just sit down and write, or do you have to do something special first?

I typically write rough drafts only between midnight and four a.m. I need to world to quiet, fade away, so that I can lose myself in the story.

Then I print, read the draft, throw it away, and delete the file. That initial plunge is just about getting to know the character, setting, story. It's less intimidating because no one else will see it. The best parts will come back. As for the rest, I'm not interested in building on a weak foundation. I take what I've learned to inform the drafts that follow. Once the second or third (sometimes I have to repeat the process) "first" draft is down, though, I can work on it any time.

I tend to write in soothing rooms—the sun room, the reading room, the sleeping porch.

If I get stuck, I dance around in the dark to pop songs of the '70s and '80s. If nothing else, it entertains the cats.

Caveat: there's no one right way to write.

What is the most difficult thing about the entire writing process, from initial idea to publication?

That moment when I'm printing the revised copy to send to my editor and the toner runs out. This always happens. I am a normally happy woman, but right then, I want very much to heave the printer out the window. Or at least the toner cartridge.

Beyond that, I'm not one to angst over process. Once the real "first" draft is down, I have full faith that the answers to any challenges in the novel are at least hinted at in the existing draft. A picture book is different, more like a puzzle. With those, I just keep trying. Jingle Dancer (Morrow/HarperCollins, 2000) went through more than 80 drafts.

How do you care for your muse?

I take extreme field trips.

For Tantalize (Candlewick, 2007, 2008), I walked the streets of Austin asking furry people if I could take their pictures as models for shape-shifter characters. Being proudly weird Austinites, they were all quite flattered.

I also went to open houses and picked up floor plans and chose where my characters would live (though I re-imagined the exterior facades and relocated the "inspiration" homes out of respect to the real-life residents). I confessed my ulterior motive to the real estate agents, who were quite gracious about the whole thing.

For Eternal (Candlewick, 2009), I went to Chicago and walked every street that my characters did and made notes of what it looked like through their eyes. The ink in my pen froze on Navy Pier.

I step into my world quite literally.

Why did you choose to write YA rather than adult, and what do you think is the main difference between the two these days?

I'd previously published books for children (another of which is in production).

Though the children's and YA markets each have their own focus and personality, the two categories are part of the same "family" of writers, illustrators, publishers, and the folks who connect books to readers.

But even if that weren't the case, I would elect to write for and about young adults—partly because they're so dynamic, partly because theirs are the books I love to read, and partly because my inner teen is alive and growling. I value the audience and my colleagues.

What else? YA literature tends toward immediacy. It's usually marked by its fine focus, quick pacing, and underlying optimism. It's resonant without always having to take itself seriously.

All of that is works for me--a usually thinking, sensitive optimist with a sense of humor and the attention span of a gnat.

"The young adult audience is in this wonderful place between childhood when anything was possible and the world was full of mysteries, miracles, and monsters, and adulthood where many of the mysteries have been solved, many of the miracles have a price, and the monsters wear human faces.

"They really get the themes in fantastic fiction, even if it's only subconsciously because they are close enough to look behind them and see the magic or look ahead and see the reality. Most adults lack that amazing perspective."

What was your most favorite part of writing a novel with vampires and werewolves?

If only because she may devour me otherwise, I feel obligated to point out that Tantalize also features a werecat as well as a handful of shifters inspired by the Texas setting—a wereoppossum, a werearmadillo, and turkey werevultures. Eternal and the tie-in short stories expand the multi-creature verse even more with ghosts, angels, and additional shifters.

But absolutely the vamps and Wolves have a particular appeal. They're old-school, classic monsters. They were screen stars in black-and-white movies. They both did "The Monster Mash." You can find them in folklore and other stories from around the world. And they appear--together and separately--in a formidable list of books, recently including Superman and Batman versus Vampires and Werewolves (DC Comics).

My story came together when I had the idea of a writing murder mystery in which the central question was whether it was a werewolf or a vampire in wolf form who's the murderer. I stumbled across it while I doing my homework. Stoker's 1897 classic Dracula held the key.

I read that you started Tantalize in 2001. What took you so long? Eternal isn't going to take that long, is it?

I'd always wanted to write a novel that drew on the vampire mythology as well as a novel set in a restaurant, so that intersection was a place to begin.

But between 2001 and when the novel sold in 2005, I had to learn how to write a more mainstream fantasy. I'd done only realistic contemporary fiction up until that time, much of it influenced by Native literary traditions.

Or more personally, my YA Gothics are horror novels involving monsters, some of whom are human beings. The books may include comedic and/or romantic elements, but they're intrinsically horrific. Magic comes at a huge price, and I'm not promising a happy or even hopeful ending. You may get one, but you can't count on it.

As a side note, I've written realistic YA fiction, too.

Why are there so few American Indian authors?

I suspect there are more than you think. If you are interested in supporting Native voices, please consider featuring the Native Youth Lit widget available from JacketFlap.

Of course it would be wonderful to have more (and more tribally diverse) representation. But the more pressing need is for teachers, librarians, and booksellers of all backgrounds to champion such voices as well as for Native professionals to excel in the publishing industry across the board.

The commercial success of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series (Scholastic) can't explain all of that, but it certainly seems like an indicator.

Not long afterward, I had good friends—some of them well established mid-listers—whose publishing careers quickly evolved or slipped away.

On the upside, we now have an extraordinary number of new voices, some of them very young. In contrast, when I first began working with my Harper editor in my late twenties/early thirties, I only knew of a couple of authors near my age. The vast majority were at least 15 years older.

It's good and bad. We have fresh energy, and reading itself has a higher, more positive profile. But many quiet books, multicultural books, historicals—the kind of books that need time to build an audience...those without a shiny new name or publisher push…those that have traditionally relied on word of mouth... Books like that face additional challenges.

Beyond that, the idea of "branding" was largely foreign (at least to me and several colleagues I've spoken with on the topic).

I understand that readers who love an author's work often want more of the same. But I obviously wasn't writing Jingle Dancer (Morrow, 2000) with the idea that it would set up my audience for Tantalize (Candlewick, 2007, 2008), and I would've considered such a dynamic a creative straight jacket.

At the time, it was widely held that most authors would seek to stretch our craft with different kinds of stories, and, as a pleasant side effect, that would offer us more room to maneuver in the market.

Finally, we're now seeing authors from historically underrepresented racial/ethnic communities in the body of literature writing about whatever we please. The fact that someone is, say, African-American doesn't necessarily mean that, over the course of their career, all or even most of their protagonists will be.

In addition, culturally-grounded stories from such voices are increasingly appreciated not only for their teach-ability but also for their literary merit. For example, ten years ago, Christopher Paul Curtis, Linda Sue Park, and Cynthia Kadohata had not (yet) won a Newbery award. How diverse was the list of winners in 1998? Significantly less so than it is today.

How has the kidlitoshere changed specifically?

The biggest change is that there is one.

Back in the day, it wasn't hard to have a Web page listing children's-YA author websites, by which I mean all of them. During my apprenticeship, I was a member one of the first published-author listservs--invited by a mentor--and met my agent that way. What became Cynsations was a monthly text email newsletter.

How did you build such a powerful author platform?

I never heard the words "author platform" before this year. I was just sharing information and, hopefully, offering encouragement.

Cynsations and the main website allow me to feed that part of myself while focusing on positive news. When I got started, the situation in publishing was much like it is now--layoffs, buyouts, canceled contracts, low author morale.

Sometimes it's good to light a candle. Sometimes it's good to light a bonfire.

How have you grown as a writer?

I've gained more faith in my creative side and built up my analytical one.

It helps that I don't limit myself to books that I initially thought of as "my kind of thing." By reading broadly, my tastes and knowledge base have expanded.

Teaching has been a blessing because it's forced me to explain what I had been doing largely by instinct. That process of articulation deepens my own understanding of the skill set.

Comedies, especially those with diverse casts. Fantasies with diverse casts. Westerns. Stories wherein the faith of the protagonist is central to his or her world view. Stories set in the U. S. central and mountain time zones. Stories rooted in the so-called "working class" AKA "lower middle class," socio-economically speaking.

As a reader, what are your "heart" books, the ones you need to return to again and again?

Ah, this is one of my frequent questions turned around on me. With the caveat that giving advice is always a little perilous...

Focus on craft. Take the long view (and a class on public speaking). Contribute to the community. Give yourself some credit. Push through your fear. Resist the temptation to compare. Stay out of flame wars. Forgive each other and yourselves. Celebrate each step, no matter how small. Stay positive but real. Encourage your peers, respect your audience, and honor the champions who connect books to young readers. Write. Read. Enjoy living your dream.

And when necessary, step away from the Internet.

What advice do you have for writing teachers?

Keep in mind that beginning writers are beginning writers. Yes, core talent is a factor, but so is determination, a positive attitude, environment, resources, and practice. Odds are, your student will get better--especially if both of you are doing your jobs.

I would extend the same thought to authors/editors who're critiquing for a writers' workshop or conference. It's too easy to glance at either a beginning writer or a manuscript at an early stage and jump to conclusions about the potential of that writer in the whole.

Incidentally, one of the most useful things I ever did was read, back-to-back, all of Paula Danziger's books in the order they were published. She was always a great writer, but I could really see how her craft developed over time.

Writing for publication puts one at the mercy of many uncontrollable forces. But we can all strive to make our next manuscript better than the one that came before.

What writing project(s) are you currently working on?

At the moment, I'm all about Blessed, a prose novel which will crossover the casts of Tantalize and Eternal. I'm also working on the graphic novel adaptation of Tantalize.

Thank you to everyone who's visited the site, passed on the URL www.cynthialeitichsmith.com, and shared your thoughts. Thanks for your enthusiasm and for all you do--online and off--for each other and young readers! Happy new year!

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Congratulations to all of the authors and illustrators of our 2008 children's-YA reading list, defined broadly!

And thank you to everyone who discussed and debated and cheered and championed this year's books!

Just for fun, I'd like to share a few of my favorites.

Quick caveats: (a) I haven't read every 2008 book published, though I did read 500+; (b) to varying degrees, I know or have met some (but not most) of the creators below--if I cut everyone I knew, potential picks would be significantly reduced in number;* (c) I will continue to read and feature 2008 titles in 2009 and beyond; (d) these are highlights, not predictions, not an all-inclusive list of my favorites.

Beyond that, I made an effort to sidestep bestsellers as well as previous ALA and NBA honorees, though one or two may have sneaked in.

*That said, I exempted my former VCFA advisees as well as my editor Deborah Noyes, author of The Ghosts of Kerfol (Candlewick) and Encyclopedia of the End (Houghton Mifllin)(interview) due to the nature of our particular relationships; however, I am--as ever--wowed by them and their books. Note: I'll add advisees to the mix on their second or third books out.

Cynsational Notes

In 2008, my novel Tantalize was released on audio by Listening Library and in paperback by Candlewick and Walker U.K.

How fun to talk about craft, the writing life, and publishing. Three important aspects of being an author!

Regarding craft, wait as much time between revisions as possible. Just close the document. Resist that urge to open it and read your wonderful opening page just one more time. Seriously. Resist it.

Do anything else you can think of. Draft another story. Read a book. Mop the floor. Clean the toilets. (Note: a manuscript and a toilet are not the same. Do not wait as long as possible between cleaning the toilet.)

The fact is this: the longer you wait, the more fresh the manuscript will appear, the more objective you will be, and the better a writer you will become.

If you can, wait a year. If you start to wear the polyurethane off your floor, at least give it a month. Okay, maybe a couple weeks. Just get away from it for some amount of time measurable on something besides a wall clock.

As for the writing life, treat yourself as a professional. Go get those publicity photos taken. Have a website designed. Print up some real business cards. The more professionally you treat yourself, the more professionally others will treat you.

Think of your writing life as your own personal business with you in charge. How do you want people to view your business? What kind of businesses do you support? The one where the manager is rude, the fries are burned, and the counter is covered in ketchup? Or the one where you're given a full refund, no questions asked, and told to have a nice day.

Give people a reason to support your business.

For publishing, keep in mind no one's story will be the same. Everyone who reaches publication will have done so differently. Each writer has ups and downs, successes and failures, good days and bad days. I wouldn't trade my life for anyone's in the world. And as such, I wouldn't trade my publishing career with anyone else, either. Because everything goes hand in hand. Writing and life. Life and writing.

So stop comparing yourself to others, and start creating your own future.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

To enter the giveaway, email me (scroll and click on the envelope) with your name and snail/street mail address by 10 p.m. CST Dec. 31! OR, if you're on MySpace or Facebook, you can message me on that network by 10 p.m. CST Dec. 31! But DON'T send in your contact information on MySpace or Facebook. I'll contact you for it if you win. Please also type "Dead Is a State of Mind" in the subject line. Note: one copy will go to a teacher, librarian, or university professor of YA literature; two copies will go to any Cynsational readers, and two copies will go to members of Tantalize Fans Unite! at MySpace. Please indicate your entry status (if you qualify in more than one category, you get a separate entry for each).

More News

Congratulations to Lisa Schroeder on the release of Far From You (Simon Pulse, Dec. 2008)! Here's a peek at the promotional copy: "Do you believe in angels? Far From You is a story of love and loss, and reminds us what's really important in life. Fans of I Heart You, You Haunt Me are sure to enjoy this novel-in-verse featuring 16-year-old Alice, a singer/songwriter who's had her share of hard times, and unfortunately, has more to come. What will pull her through? Her music? The love of her boyfriend, Blaze? Or perhaps, an angel, here on earth?" Read a Cynsations interview with Lisa.

Your Identity, for the Internet from Editorial Anonymous. Peek: "Your website, in the very lucky event that an editor decides to look you up, should tell the editor more about who you are as a person-- your other pursuits, anything that makes you particularly well suited to write for kids, your sense of humor, that sort of thing."

Interview with Carrie Jones, author of Need (Bloomsbury, Dec. 2008) from Jeri Smith-Ready. Peek: "I think fear works both ways. You know how at slumber parties everyone would freak themselves out because they heard noises in the kitchen or outside? I was always the kid who grabbed a weapon, made the other kids form a line behind me and investigated." Read a Cynsations interview with Carrie. Note: congratulations to Carrie on her new release!

Looking for New Writers? Arizona Wants to Catch Your Eye from GalleyCat. Peek: "'Look Book,' an anthology of fiction, nonfiction and poetry from 26 writers who'd completed the two-year program. Epstein, who also orchestrated the book's production, says she sent copies to more than 80 agents earlier this month, and some of the writers have already gotten their first contact." Note: not an MFA in writing for young readers, but included as part of the "larger" discussion about graduate programs.

So How Do You Know When You Suck (Or Just Haven't Made It) by Allison Winn Scotch from Ask Allison. Peek: "Obviously, writing is a subjective thing, and what is good to one person will certainly suck for another (just read any author's reviews and you'll see a wide range), but on the whole (and yes, there are exceptions, where universally, everyone says, how the hell did that get published), most published writers have a certain something that appeals." Note: a candid, give-and-take (with no clear answers) on a question heard a lot from folks in their apprenticeships.

Austin illustrator Clint Young and author Deborah Noyes are now at JacketFlap. Peek at Clint's bio: "Born 1971 in Dallas, Texas, but now call Austin Home. I spent several years in the San Francisco Bay area as a senior artist for LucasArts/Lucasfilm. Currently I have found a home as a concept artist for Bioware, Austin." See also a Cynsations interview with Deborah.

Five Questions for Kevin Henkes from Notes from the Horn Book. Peek: "My then-editor, Susan Hirschman, wisely said something like, 'I don't think this is good enough for you. Anyone would publish it and it would do very, very well. But in the long run, I don't think you'd be happy.' I keep those words as a guiding principle."

More Personally

Exclusive Q & A with Author Cynthia Leitich Smith from Teen Book Blog: maintained by the Palatine Public Library District as an online extension of services to young adult patrons. Peek: "I popped corn for a movie theater back during the 1980s blockbusters. Lines would wrap around the theater. One night someone broke in with a gun and stole our copy of 'Indiana Jones in the Temple of Doom.' That job was my inspiration for my short story, 'Haunted Love' in Immortal Love Stories with Bite, edited by P. C. Cast."

I'm going to take a few days of hiatus and will be back Dec. 29! Happy Holidays! Here's a little cheer from my wintery kitty. Meet Blizzard!

Due to a technical difficulty, Cynthia's discussion of Tantalize (Candlewick, 2007, 2008), Eternal (Candlewick, 2009), and related forthcoming books on the teen grid of Teen Second at Second Life has been rescheduled for 3 p.m. Feb. 24. See more information.

Cynthia will be speaking on "Writing and Illustrating Native American Children's Literature" (with S. D. Nelson) and "Monsters and Magic: Writing Gothic Fantasy Novels for Teenagers" on March 15 at the Tucson Festival of Books.

Try very, very, very hard not to take the rejection personally. And keep putting yourself out there. Those darn publishers still don't make house calls.

About the writing and artistic life

More and more, with the whole world is streamed into your office and on to your lap, writing can be a no-contact pajama sport so that you never have to go out of your house. Don't let it happen.

Drag yourself into the shower, put on some clothes and go out. Hear other authors read. Go to the library or bookstore. Touch books. No, caress them. They get lonely.

Also, not everything is on the Web. You will learn a lot just by picking up a book. And not just the original material. Go to the library and read the secondary material about the genre you are working in. It sparks ideas. Those books like to be caressed too.

About my craft

I think the most important thing I've learned about my craft was something I read in a blog of Jane Yolen's several years ago. I can't quote it exactly but she said something like, Each manuscript has its own voice, and the writer's job is to find the voice in each work.

This was very liberating for me because I had always thought that a writer had one voice and you went around looking for it your entire life and then somehow, you were successful once you found it.

I know that sounds incredibly naive and stupid but well, these are the misconceptions we have as writers...

Anyway, since I read that bit of wisdom, I feel so much freer as a writer to explore each manuscript and ask myself, "what am I trying to say?"--"what are the characters trying to say?", and let the voice of the piece come out naturally.

A novel weaves its own brand of magic in connecting with readers. That's what has hit home to me since The Lucky Place (Front Street, 2008) was launched.

I've published in other areas so I was totally surprised by this gift. Readers really do express a deeper appreciation when a writer produces a novel; at least they have to me.

I think this comes with the investment of time and emotion we put into books. I know I invest more heavily when reading a novel. It's like taking a journey with a total stranger who, through harrowing circumstances, ends up being your close friend.

Now I'm on the other side of this process, and it's amazing. Readers are expressing how they felt on their journey with my words. How gratifying is that?

When you're writing a book the responsibility is to yourself. To open your soul and find whatever truth is there to tell. After it's out in the world, you realize just how important that honesty is for readers. That's when the consequences take hold. It's not just about you now.

Readers will catch you out if you haven't done your best. Not that you have to be the best in the world, just the best you can be. It makes the next book all the more exciting to write. And all the more challenging.

You have to take yourself seriously, but then again, you can't take yourself too seriously, either.

The most important lesson I learned about my craft came during my revision process. I didn't know what type of a reviser I was—meaning "Did I need specific comments or general?"

My editor at the time said something to the affect of, "It's always interesting working with a new author because you have to figure out how to get through to them in a way they can relate to and be motivated by."

Through trial and error (and tears), I learned I'm a: Give me the specifics type of reviser; tell me what page (and sometimes even what paragraph) I need to add something to because "develop this character more" is not something (at that point anyway) I knew what to do with.

The most important lessons I learned about the writing life were that I needed to continue to have fun—to continue to play, to continue to allow myself to make mistakes.

Just because my first book got published didn't mean I was supposed to know everything and get it right the first time. To expect that from myself was self-imposed torture. I had to realize that there is no magic formula to writing; there's only what works for me on this book, on this day, at this time.

The most important lessons I learned about publishing was not to compare myself and my book to others. As hard as it is in this numbers driven world—I learned not to get caught up in: the blog hits, the website hits, the Amazon ranking, the Goodreads ranking, the Barnes & Noble ranking, the Worldcat numbers, aaaaaaaah!

It was an insane roller-coaster of "Yay, I'm third in Central/South America Books on Amazon," to "Ugh, someone just gave me three out of five stars on Goodreads."

Get involved, be involved, but don't let the numbers define you. I'm doing the best I can to get Bringing the Boy Home (HarperCollins, 2008) out there and the rest of it is just stuff I need to let happen and not judge myself—poorly or glorily (no, that's not a real word)—by.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Welcome to Nightshade, California—a small town full of secrets. It's home to the psychic Giordano sisters, who have a way of getting mixed up in mysteries. During their investigations, they run across everything from pom-pom-shaking vampires to shape-shifting boyfriends to a clue-spewing jukebox. With their psychic powers and some sisterly support, they can crack any case!

There's a gorgeous new guy at Nightshade High: Duke Sherrad, a fortune-teller claiming to have descended from Gypsies. Even though she’s psychic herself, Daisy is skeptical of Duke’s powers. But when a teacher who was the subject of one of his predictions ends up dead, she begins to wonder if Duke is the real deal after all. Maybe if Daisy can track down the teacher's killer, she can find out the truth.

The only trouble is, all signs point to the murderer being of the furry persuasion. Is Daisy any match for a werewolf? Maybe she is . . . in more ways than she bargained for!

To enter the giveaway, email me (scroll and click on the envelope) with your name and snail/street mail address by 10 p.m. CST Dec. 31! OR, if you're on MySpace or Facebook, you can message me on that network by 10 p.m. CST Dec. 31! But DON'T send in your contact information on MySpace or Facebook. I'll contact you for it if you win. Please also type "Dead Is a State of Mind" in the subject line. Note: one copy will go to a teacher, librarian, or university professor of YA literature; two copies will go to any Cynsational readers, and two copies will go to members of Tantalize Fans Unite! at MySpace. Please indicate your entry status (if you qualify in more than one category, you get a separate entry for each).

Balancing, Juggling, Maintaining: on balancing a writing life and full-time job by Sara Ryan. Peek: "I am constantly aware that my friends who don’t have day jobs are publishing more frequently. I am constantly worried that I'm not fast enough, that people will forget me between books, that I'm not getting enough done. But. I try to remember: I care about both careers. My work as a librarian is rewarding, too. And publishing is not a race." Read a Cynsations interview with Sara.

Online Social Networking: Safety Tips for Parents from Austin Public Library. Peek: "Remind them not to post anything that could embarrass them later or expose them to danger. Although OSNs are public, teens sometimes think that adults can't see what they post. Tell them that they shouldn't post photos or info they wouldn't want adults to see."

Introducing...Vanessa Ziff! by Sarah Aronson at Through the Tollbooth. Peek: "I went for the scary advisor (Um, we shan't name names.) Not that I had a death wish (some might have thought otherwise.) It's that somewhere inside, per usual, I needed the 'Advanced Placement' course, the one that would kick the living crap out of me and make me feel…humbled." Note: part of a series celebrating pre-published writers.

Introducing Cindy Faughnan! by Sarah Aronson at Through the Tollbooth. Peek: "Find a writing buddy or two or three to check in with. It helps keep you honest, and if you’re lucky the buddy can give you great feedback. Plus it gives you someone to talk to who understands what you’re going through or what it means to wait six months for a response or that you’re excited about a 'nice' rejection." Note: the last of a series celebrating pre-published writers.

Attention: YA Horror, Paranormal (and Otherwise Creepy) Authors and Publishers: promote your books by sending giveaways to Phoenix Comicon. The event will be Jan. 25 to Jan. 27 at the Mesa Civic Center, with a preview night featuring Zombie Walk and Zombie Beauty Pageant on Jan. 24. Last year Phoenix Comicon boasted more than 5000 attendees, including many in the YA and middle readers demographic. Email sponsors@phoenixcomicon.com, and check out www.phoenixcomicon.com to find out more about the guest list, events, how to coordinate giveaways, and more.

Teen Writing Contest: Gotham Writers' Workshop "has teamed with Sonya Sones and Simon & Schuster publishing for a truly original writing competition - The What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know Writing Contest." Peek: "Sonya Sones will read the entries, and the author of her favorite entry will win a free six-week online writing class from Gotham Writers' Workshop and Teen Ink! Sonya will even post the winning entry on her website! Ten runners-up will receive a year's subscription to Teen Ink. The winner and the ten runners-up will also receive a personalized copy of What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know signed by the author." See details and official rules.

On Voice by dawtheminstrel at Kidlit Central News. Peek: "Voice is a factor of point of view. It's created by what the POV character notices, the words in which he or she conveys it, and how he or she reacts." Note: "Kidlit Central News brings you the hottest children’s publishing news, reviews, entertainment and more—by and about those involved with children’s literature in and around the Central U.S. Featured states include: Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, Oklahoma and Wisconsin."

Mandy Hubbard - YA Author: new official site. Mandy is the author of Prada & Prejudice (Razorbill, June 2009). Peek: "Mandy Hubbard grew up on a dairy farm outside Seattle, where she refused to wear high heels until homecoming—and hated them so much she didn't wear another pair for five years. A cowgirl at heart, she enjoys riding horses and quads and singing horribly to the latest country tune. She's currently living happily ever after with her husband (who, sadly, is not a Duke) and her daughter (who is most definitely a princess). Prada and Prejudice is her first novel."

Author/Illustrator Promotion Tip: be sure to include your publisher's name and book ISBNs on your websites!

From Publishers Lunch: "Jo Whittemore's Ink Slingers, a peek at the behind-the-scenes world of the eighth-grade newspaper, to Alyson Heller at Aladdin, for publication in Summer 2010, by Jennifer Laughran at Andrea Brown Literary Agency." Congratulations, Jo, Alyson, and Jennifer! Wonderful news! Read a Cynsations interviews with Jo and Jennifer.

Change Has Come, a picture book by Kadir Nelson: an interview with the illustrator by Don Tate from The Brown Bookshelf. Peek: "It was created very spontaneously with black and white sketches and drawings that celebrate our great American achievement. It is punctuated with quotes from Obama’s speeches from the last four years." See more of Don's thoughts on the interview.

"'Twas the Night Before Christmas Aboard the 'Black Sark'" a celebration of A Pirate's Night Before Christmas by Phil Yates from Mark G. Mitchell at How to Be a Children's Book Illustrator. Peek: "His artwork was modern, moody, had an edgy quality to it that was appealing. Similar to Lane Smith, I think. Lots of clutter, but I mean that in a postive way. Detail upon detail. He could also handle crowds of pirates in one picture, which, when you look at the illustrations, you can see this was necessary." Read Cynsations interviews with Phil and Mark.

Fran Cannon Slayton: official site of the debut author of When the Whistle Blows (Philomel, June 2009). Peek: "Fran became a stay-at-home mom ('the best job ever'), author, and part-time singer/trumpet player in a rock and roll cover band."

Process and Product - 3 by Liz Garton Scanlon at Liz In Ink. Peek: "Honestly, if my process grew stagnant I would never sell a thing and, plus, I'd pull all my hair out. Which would hurt, since it's already so curly and tangly anyway." Read a Cynsations interview with Liz.

HarperStudio and Borders: No Returns from Nathan Bransford's Blog. Peek: "HarperStudio and Borders have reached an agreement on a framework for ending returns. In exchange for a discount ranging from 58-63%, Borders will buy HarperStudio books on a nonreturnable basis."

Fear and Publishing by Carrie Jones from Through the Tollbooth. Peek: "We want to make the best books we possibly can make. What's happening in the publishing world shouldn't change that." Note: bonus points for "Buffy" and "Scooby" references. Read a Cynsations interview with Carrie.

readertotz: "a unique board book blog that aims to raise awareness of the infant-toddler book as a significant format of children's literature" from authors Joan Holub and Lorie Ann Grover. Note: "will feature weekly blog posts that highlight the best contributions in the infant-toddler book arena and recommend monthly community service projects appropriate for families with young children to enjoy. Also included each month: an age-appropriate play list and a recommended book for the older sibling."

The Bright and Inviting Website of L.K. Madigan: official site of the author of Flash Burnout (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009). Peek: "My road to publication has been filled with potholes and bumps, steep uphill trudges and deep downhill slides, laughter, tears, and always, the sound of friends and family cheering me on. I feel very lucky."

More PersonallyAn Interview with Cynthia Leitich Smith by Robyn at Once Upon a Romance. Peek: "I was a switchboard operator for a bank, a cashier at a gas station, a marketing intern for Hallmark Cards, a summer clerk for a 10th Circuit appellate judge, a summer clerk for a legal aid office in Hawaii, a reporting intern for the Dallas Morning News, and a tutor in English composition for college freshmen from migrant farm families." See also last month's interview with Dotti Enderle.

A Great Time to Support Local Authors by Emily at BookKids Recommends. Peek: "Austin is rife with local authors! Buying local is a great way to put money back into your community, and it works with literature, too! Below are some of my very favorite local author titles for holiday gift-giving. (Psssst - most of these are available in signed editions!)" See also: More Local Authors: Picture Books: also from Emily. Peek: "From sleep-walking penguins to pirate Santas, Austin’s authors cover it all." Emily says of Santa Knows (Dutton, 2006): "Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith are a force to be reckoned with, especially when it comes to believing in Santa." And she says of Tantalize (Candlewick, 2007, 2008): "...a great book for Austinite teens and lovers of dark fantasy." Shop BookPeople!

Reminder: Submitting a children's/YA book to Cynsations? Please don't write a "pitch" letter (per the instructions on my site) as I can't respond individually to thousands of these a year. Instead, see the submissions guidelines to decide whether your book is a fit. Good luck!

Novel Secrets: A Novel Retreat in 3 Acts: "Have you always wanted to write a young adult or middle grade novel for children, but have not carved out the time to get it done? Do you have a draft of a novel written, but are looking for ideas and strategies to revise and strengthen it? Would you like the chance to meet with an editor or an agent to pitch your novel and gain critical feedback about this novel in particular and the fiction market, in general? All of this is possible if you attend..." Features authors Elaine Marie Alphin, Darcy Pattison, editor Jill Santopolo, and agent Stephen Barbara. See more information.

Sale! February Only!

About

New York Times & Publishers Weekly best-selling, award-winning author the Tantalize series, the Feral series and other critically acclaimed fiction for young readers. She/her. MFA Faculty, Vermont College of Fine Arts. Board member, We Need Diverse Books. Ohonvyetv!

Intern

Intern

Robin Galbraith holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Intern

Kate Pentecost holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is the YA author of Elysium Girls (Hyperion, winter 2020). Kate is represented by Sara Crowe of Pippin Properties.